The social development bank for Europe

A science and technology park in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina are setting up a Science and Technology Park in the city of Banja Luka. The Park is expected to create favourable conditions for innovative companies to develop and to attract foreign investments.

To help authorities prepare the project, whose total cost is estimated at €15 million, the CEB approved in 2022 a technical assistance grant of €0.6 million. The assistance is financed by the Italian authorities via their Italian Fund for Innovative Projects and the Social Impact Account.

Preliminary design for the Science and Technology Park
Preliminary design for the Science and Technology Park

Thanks to the assistance, which is provided by UNDP, the authorities advanced in 2023 on the project preparation, including the institutional set-up and the building design. Once the preparation phase is completed, a priori in 2024, the authorities intend to request a loan of €12 million from the CEB to finance the project.

Italian Fund for Innovative Projects

The Italian Fund for Innovative Projects (IFIP) has been set up by Italy to help the Bank develop innovative social projects. It finances technical assistance for projects located in countries of the Western Balkan region which are eligible to Official Development Assistance (ODA), as well as Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. Italian authorities have approved €0.9 million in grants from the IFIP, which is endowed with €1 million.